The J-Term Experience

January Intensive, also commonly referred as J-Term.

A 2-week, buckle down, hold on tight, period where students take one class that meets every day, with some readings and written assignments being done before the class initially meets and a final assignment usually being due a few weeks after the class has ended.

o It requires discipline to stay on top of readings.

o It requires focus to absorb a great deal of information in a short amount of time.

o It requires caffeine and some kind of food substance to stay awake.

o It requires a warm jacket for those cold winter walks to class every morning

It truly is an intensive course.

However there are some great benefits to the J-Term classes:

o You get a 3 credit hour course out of the way in 2 weeks as opposed to 13 weeks

o You only have to worry about the work for one class as opposed to 4 or 5 classes

o You get a chance to know your fellow classmates better after spending hours together in the same classroom

This year was my first time taking an intensive course of any kind and since I am 1. Not a morning person and 2. Not a fan of the cold, I decided to ease into the J-Term experience by taking an online course at Garrett-Evangelical, another first for me at seminary. I had taken some online courses in my undergraduate work and I know that the key to a successful online course is the professor putting in as much time into developing the course site as the professor expects her/his students to put into the course. Thankfully, the faculty of Garrett-Evangelical who teach online courses know what they are doing. My J-Term class was by far one of the best online classes I have ever taken and while I may not have gotten to know the people in my class, I did get to know the two other individuals in my discussion group fairly well for having never seen each other face to face.

J-Term was by no means an easy time because it was online. Despite having the flexibility to do my readings, watch lectures, and post on the discussion board at different times in my day, it still required me to be disciplined in staying on top of course work, keep focus to really take in what I was learning (and not be distracted by Facebook, YouTube, and the other wonders of the internet), and a blanket since it was still a little chilly in my apartment.

Intensive courses are a unique experience, whether taken online or in the classroom. While it may, at times, seem crazy to try to do the work of a 3 credit hour course in the span of two weeks, I have a feeling that when I’m able to take 12 hours next fall instead of 15, I will come to appreciate J-Term even more. Maybe next J-Term I’ll try out the classroom experience, just don’t be surprised if you see me with a giant cup of coffee every morning!

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Tasha Sargent is a first year MDiv student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She regularly blogs at http://thethousandmilejourney.wordpress.com.